Dobrujan Germans
Encyclopedia
The Dobrujan Germans were an ethnic German
group, within the larger category of Black Sea Germans
, for over one hundred years. German-speaking colonists entered the approximately 23,000 km² area of Dobruja
around 1840 and left during the relocation of 1940. Dobruja is a historic territory on the north coast of the Black Sea
.
The first of these German
settlers came between 1841 and 1856 from the Russian Empire
. They were farming families from the neighboring areas of Bessarabia
and Cherson
, who immigrated because of an economic recession in their home territories. Thirty years later colonists from Swabia
also moved into the region. During this period, Dobruja still belonged to the Ottoman Empire
and the colonists were subject to colonization regulations from Turkey
. Consequently, the Dobruja Germans were the only ethnic Germans to ever be Turkish subjects without actually moving to Turkey (as did the Bosporus Germans
). They contributed to the agricultural development of the fertile steppe
s.
, were relocated into Germany
. This was done under the motto: Heim ins Reich
(Home into the Empire). The refugees lived temporarily in relocation camps in Austria
, but in 1941/1942 they resettled the German occupied eastern territories in Bohemia, Moravia and Poland
. At the end of the war, they fled west, and were found as refugees in all four occupation zone
s in Germany.
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
group, within the larger category of Black Sea Germans
Black Sea Germans
The Black Sea Germans are ethnic Germans who left their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries, and settled in territories off the north coast of the Black Sea, mostly in southern Ukraine...
, for over one hundred years. German-speaking colonists entered the approximately 23,000 km² area of Dobruja
Dobruja
Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast...
around 1840 and left during the relocation of 1940. Dobruja is a historic territory on the north coast of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
.
Colonization
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
settlers came between 1841 and 1856 from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. They were farming families from the neighboring areas of Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
and Cherson
Kherson
Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River, and the home of a major ship-building industry...
, who immigrated because of an economic recession in their home territories. Thirty years later colonists from Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
also moved into the region. During this period, Dobruja still belonged to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and the colonists were subject to colonization regulations from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Consequently, the Dobruja Germans were the only ethnic Germans to ever be Turkish subjects without actually moving to Turkey (as did the Bosporus Germans
Bosporus Germans
Bosporus Germans are those ethnic Germans living and settled in Istanbul since the second half of the 19th century.The first generation came a few decades before and especially during the three political visits of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Constantinople , the capital city of the Ottoman Empire Bosporus...
). They contributed to the agricultural development of the fertile steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
s.
Relocation
In the first years of World War II, the majority of the 16,000 Dobruja Germans, as well as the Bessarabian and Bukovina GermansBukovina Germans
The Bukovina Germans were a German ethnic group that mainly lived from about 1780 to the 1940s in Bukovina, part of present-day western Ukraine and northern Romania...
, were relocated into Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. This was done under the motto: Heim ins Reich
Heim ins Reich
The Heim ins Reich initiative was a policy pursued by Adolf Hitler starting in 1938 and was one of the factors leading to World War II. The initiative attempted to convince people of German descent living outside of the German Reich that they should strive to bring these regions "home" into a...
(Home into the Empire). The refugees lived temporarily in relocation camps in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, but in 1941/1942 they resettled the German occupied eastern territories in Bohemia, Moravia and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. At the end of the war, they fled west, and were found as refugees in all four occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
s in Germany.